Hoop House Plans

By Steve Robinson
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his !oop !ouse "lan creates a strong durable environment for your vegetable
garden , flowers or whatever you en#oy growing. he dimensions are $% feet wide by
&' feet long . It is constructed using lumber for the baseboards and "() pipe for the
hoops. his !oop !ouse cost me around *%''.''.
I built most of the hoop house by myself, with the e+ception of friends helping me place
the plastic and cover cloth over the hoops. ,ith the help of a few friends, it could easily
be constructed in a day.
You can always alter the dimensions of your hoop house if you do not have enough
space. -r you may what to e+tend it for a larger growing area. Some regions may use
$ inch "() pipe, but I recommend using $ . inch "() for its additional strength.
/lso, if you live in a sandy soil region, you may want to drive your stakes and pipes in &
feet deep. I0m in a rocky region and I did good getting the stakes and "() pipe 1 foot
deep. You may also decide to cement your "() post into the ground.
If you alter your dimensions, you can figure out the length of your pipe by using the
circumference of a circle formula2 3&.$45r6 where r stands for radius which is half the
width of your hoop house. 7ake sure you add & feet to insert into the ground.
Selectin! a Site an" Construction of #our Hoop House
$.Selectin! a Site Select a good site for your Hoop House tunnel in regards to
receive enough light, proper drainage, accessibility, and irrigations. I have positioned
my !oop !ouse east to west so the sides receive the ma#ority of the wind.
%. Framin! &our Hoop House 8se stakes to mark your corners measuring $%0 wide
by &'0long. 7ake sure corners are s9uare by measuring e9ual distance between
perpendicular corners.3it is &:0 between perpendicular corners5 ;rive your 4 stakes into
the ground at the corners and stretch your string around the perimeter of the corner
stakes where your baseboards will be placed. 8se your leveler to level out the position
of your baseboards.
E'uipment an" Tools:
"lumb line and <evel
Step ladder
Stapler with staple
Sledge hammer for driving your baseboard stakes and
"() ground post
Saw to cut your lumber and "() pipe.
;rill, screwdriver bit, => wooden drill bit to drill hole
for carriage bolts
(. Time for &our )aseboar"s )ut fourteen 10 pieces of 1> ? 4>, )ut them in a point
on one end so you can drive them into the ground. @ow, drive in your stakes for
baseboard attachment on the inside of your guide string. 7ake sure you have the broad
side of the 1> ? 4> facing the string.
-n the long sides of your hoop house, your posts should be $A0 from each end where
your baseboard will meet and B> from the corners. his will allow you space for "()
ground posts in the corners. /ttach your 1> ? B> ? $'0 side baseboards to the stakes
with & .> screws. Star at one end flush with the corner stake.
-n the end walls, drive a stake $'0 from the outer edge of one of the sideboards and B>
from each of the corners. Screw the first 1> ? B> ? $'0 flush against the end of the side
wall baseboard and cut the second board to fit the remaining of the end wall3 eight feet5.
Remove your 4 corner stakes and string.
*. +rie &our %, P-C .roun" Posts @ow, on the side walls, make a mark every &
feet starting from the end of the sidewall baseboard. ;rive your "() 1> pipe into the
ground at your marks and in the corners. hey should be driven into the ground to make
them flush with your 1> ? B> boards.
/ote: 0hen "riin! &our P-C into the !roun"1 place a %, 2 *, boar" oer
&our
P-C pipe an" hit it instea" of &our P-C pipe. 3 ma& break otherwise.
4. Time for the Hoop 5ssembl&6 "rime and glue one $ .> ? $'0 and $ .> ? 1'0
"()
pipe together to make one &'0 long pipe. Collow the instruction for using the primer and
glue.
7. 8aisin! #our Hoops "lace one end of your &'0 long pipe into a 1> "() ground
post. Bend the hoop to insert the other end on the other side of the tunnel directly
across.
/fter you have inserted all of your hoops. Det up on a step ladder and have another
person on the ground. he person on the step ladder needs to eyeball all of the hoops to
level them and the person on the ground will make ad#ustments to the depth of the
hoops.
@ow, it0s time to begin drilling through the baseboard and the pipes using your => drill
bit. 8se your carriage bolts, washers and nuts to secure the hoops ne+t to the
baseboards. ake caution to push the bots through from the outside and tightening the
hoops from the inside.
9. 5ttach the Purlins /ttach your purlins 3&'0 .> "()5 on the inside of the hoops.
he first purlin should be place directly in the center and the other two purlins should be
place between the hip board and top of the hoop. You will need to attach your hip
boards before you place the 1nd and &rd purlin up. 8se your stepladder and drill, to drill
through the hoops and purlins every & feet and attaching with carriage bolts, washers
and nuts. he head of the carriage bolt should be up to assure a smooth surface for the
plastic to rest on.
@ote2 3;uct tape can be used to cover the head of your carriage bolt5
:. 5ttach #ou Hip )oar"s 7easure &0 high on your hoops above your baseboards and
place your hip boards using $ .> screws. !ip boards should start at one end of the
tunnel and placed end to end. Secure your hip boards together with a piece of wood at
each #unction to make one long hip board of &'0
;. Time to Construct #our En" 0alls 8se 10 ? 4> lumber to frame in your end
walls.
here is no rule here because of door variations and needs. I used 4 vertical studs with
horiEontal and diagonal bracing. )ut notches in your studs to fit on the inside of the
baseboard and the above hoop. 8se 1 .> or & .> screws to attach your studs and
bracing.
$<. Time for En" 0all )racin!. )ut out a 1> ? 4> board to run from the side
baseboard 3close to the second hoop5, to the end wall and baseboard.
$$. Time for the First Furrin! Strips "lace furing strips end to end along the upper
half of the hip boards.
$%. Time for the Plastic ;o this on a calm day. <ay your poly out lengthwise on one
side of your hoop house. "ull your plastic over the hoop house. /n easy way is to
secure a rope close to the edge of the ply at each end of the hoop house and tie a tennis
ball 3or round ob#ect5 that you can throw over your hoop house. hen throw the rope
over the hoop house and go around to the other side and gently pull the plastic over the
hoop house.
7ake certain that the plastic is centered properly and tight before securing with furring
strips over the plastic, snug against and #ust below the first furring strip previously
placed. 8se $ .> crews placed every 1 or & feet apart.
"ull the plastic tight and attach to the opposite side in the same way. Cinish fastening
the plastic by attaching to the end walls, using furring strips.
@ote2 3you may choose to buy poly tak strips which are commercially available.5
$( Time for the 8oll up Si"es =Curtains> "rime and glue together your &$0 long 1>
diameter "() pipe. Be sure the pipe is longer than the tunnel on both ends so you can
attach a handle and to avoid any problem with rolling up your sides. /ttach your plastic
to your "() pipe with duct tape. You can also purchase special clips for attaching poly
to pipe.
You may choose not to have roll up sides at all, but to #ust tie up your plastic when
ventilation is needed. You can accomplish this by simply placing eye hooks in the hip
board at every hoop and running a piece of string below the sidewall plastic around the
hoop and back.
$*. Time to Stabili?e Si"ewalls You will need to prevent the sidewalls from
flapping
in the breeEe outwards. o do this, cut pieces of drip hose or old water hose and attach
them with washer and screws from the hip board to the baseboard at each hoop.
$4. Time to 3nstall Plastic on the En" 0alls Since I will take off my plastic from
the
end walls during the hot summer, I use a cheaper plastic. You may choose to use
commercially available poly tack strips or securing strips like we used to secure the
sidewalls. hen cut out your doorway.
16. ime for the ;oor Crame and ;oor You can make a door, or use an old door laying
around in storage on one or both ends of your hoop house.
$9. Time for the Sha"e Cloth 3nstallation / shade cloth will help keep the
temperature down during the hot summer months in your hoop house. I usually place
my shade cloth on the hoop house around 7emorial ;ay until <abor ;ay. he
grommets that are every three feet apart allow for tying down to the eye hooks that are
fi+ed into the baseboards. I place my shade cloth a little e+tra to the South to provide
better shade.
@aterial +imension Auantit& Comments
Strin! an" Stakes
$'' feet of
string6 4
stakes
S9uare off your hoop house2
;imensions $% ? &'
Lumber
1> ? B> ?$'0 B hese are your base boards.
hey will be in contact with
the soil6 so use cedar or
redwood6 ;o not use
chemically treated lumber
because of health concerns if
you are planting in the
ground.
$> ? 4> ? $' F B hese are your hip boards
1> ? 4> ? %0 $% o attach
you baseboards, framing and
$% o attach you baseboards,
framing and bracing the end
walls.
bracing the end walls.
1>? 4> ? $' B hese are used to frame up
your door3s5 I put a &1>
door at each end. Yours may
vary.
Furrin!
Strips
$> ? 1> ? $'0 $B hese are used to attach
plastic to hip boards
and end walls.
P-C
Pipe
=Sche"ule *<>
$ .> ? 1' F
bell end
$4 hese are part of your $$
hoops plus & purlins.
$ .> ? $'
straight end
$4 hese are your other part of
your $$ hoops plus &
purlins.
1A&0 long
pieces of 1>
"()
11 hese are your ground post
and will have to buy your
"() in eight to ten foot
pieces
1>? &'0 1 hese are used to roll up
your curtains. You will have
to
buy in $' or 1' foot sections.
1> pipe % hese are used to make
handles for the curtains to be
rolled up.
Primer
an" .lue
8se to connect your "()
pipe together.
Carria!e
bolts
: .> ? => 4' "urchase bolts, washers and
nuts. hese are used to
attach baseboards to "()
posts and your hoops to the
purlins.
+eck
Screws
$ .> 1 lb
.1 .> & lb
& .> & lb
Self
Tappin!
Screws
o connect handle to your
curtain rod3pvc5
.reenhouse
Pol&eth&lene
&'0 ? &4> $ Buy in one piece. ;o not try
and piece together. 8se this
to cover your hoop house.
8se B mil 8( stabiliEed.
You may decide to use
cheaper plastic for your end
walls.
Sha"e Cloth
&'0 ? 1:0 $ ,hiteGBlack6 &% H shade
cloth with grommets every &
feet apart.